Details

Our original Niko Camera Bag, the Niko Messenger was designed and built for street photographers and videographers who need mobility and quick swing-around access. The interior main compartment is customizable for organizing lenses and gear and the top-loading main compartment holds essentials including windbreaker, keys, phone, and/or wallet.

CAMERA COMPATIBILITY:

While this is not a complete list, these are a few possible combinations of camera equipment for the Niko to pack down. Carry these camera bodies plus a wide-angle lens (e.g. 18-55mm) and still have room for a telephoto lens (e.g. 55-300mm) plus battery packs, cables, and more.

Size Chart

Customer Reviews 41 item(s)

Love this bag. When I saw it in the SF store I knew I had to have it though I already had 2 camera bags.

Things to love

1. SIZE - It is the perfect blend of portable and roomy enough. If you need more space, you are probably carrying too much gear or what this is intended for, which is mobility. The top storage is perfect for cramming filters, a flash, gum, cleaners, snacks and any other accessories you might need.

2. COMFORT - I've had this filled (D7000, 2 lenses, flash, lots of accessories and a heavy tripod) and been out with it on my back for many miles both on foot and on bike and have rarely felt any discomfort. Without the tripod strapped to the side it's balanced perfect, but even with it's damn good!

3. DURABLE - As I've come to expect from Chrome bags, this bag can take a beating. I've dragged it, caught it on barbed wire, laid it in dirt, worn it in the rain and while it may be in need of a little cleaning it's completely intact and still functioning. You do not need to baby this pack.

THE ONE THING I HATE

1. CONFIRGURATION - The inside is pretty much unconfigurable. It would be nice if there were more velcro coverage so you could modify the padded dividers to suit different types of gear. Also, and this is a small gripe. A water bottle holder on the side with the tripod straps so you can carry watter when not carrying a tripod.

Can't say enough about the high quality of Chrome Industries gear and this camera bag falls right in line with that statement. Interior padding is spectacular, zippers are heavy duty and the exterior material is tough and hearty. When it comes to style, this camera bag blows every other out of the water! It's small but can surprisingly fit much more than I ever imaged.
My absolute favorite feature about the bag is how quickly you can go from it being securely closed up and on your back, to slinging/sliding it around your torso from your back to your front, which turns the back sideways to easily unzip and pull out your camera to capture that great shot on the fly and quickly.

I started using this bag a couple of days ago and it has proven itself as the ideal camera bag for my needs. The size is large enough that I can fit my camera in the top pouch, 3 lenses and some accessories inside the bag with more then enough room for additional gear. And my tripod fits nicely strapped on the outside.

The best part for me is that the bag is still compact enough that easily slides around to give me quick access to my camera without having to completely remove the bag.

When cycling, I hardly noticed it was there. It was didn't block my vision when shoulder checking and the secondary strap kept everything comfortably in place.

I highly recommend this bag for anyone, not just cyclists. I intend to use this when I'm snowboarding in the winter.

This is a really great camera bag. It has every thing in terms of camera storage that a similar Lowepro might have, except that it is much cooler. The wide shoulder strap really disperses the weight of the gear (DSLR, 2 lenses, tripod, doo-dads).

You might consider a 'top loader' version in the future.

Also I got might at the SF store this weekend (they had 3-4 on hand). The website said out of stock.....I suggest calling your local store to see if they have it.

They made a bag that I fell in love with. It was basically Love at first site. The bag is just a little guy but holds everything of mine! No joke! The following isn't a list to show all of the cool cameras I have, but rather a list of all the things I fit inside it, It really held all of these, no joke.
1 Nikon D5000 body.
1 Nikon N80 35mm body.
1 Nikon Speed Light SB-700.
1 Diana Mini camera + Flash.
1 Spinner 360 camera.
1 Nikkor 55-200mm Lens.
1 Nikkor 18-55mm Lens.
5 rolls of 35mm film.
1 Tripod.
and just about every other camera accessory such as remote, lens cleaning kit, diana splitzer...
I'm no serious photographer, I'm pretty amateur, I just love collecting camera's and shooting what I see. This bag allows me to take literally my whole collection where ever I go. It keeps everything neat and safe Just the way camera equipment should be treated. Another silly plus, it fits inside the brigadier bag perfectly for long trips. Thanks Chrome!

Very similar in concept to the Lowepro Slingshot. But so much more refined. The waterproofed zips feels like serious business and the strap is very very well done(like my 2 other chromes). Only flaw I feel is the inability for the top compartment to open up for access to the bottom. That would mean I can fit my 1D with a 300mm and pull it out/put it in while its on the ground!

It would be awesome to see chrome build an even bigger pack...something similar to the Lowepro Vertex 300 AW Backpack. That would be great for longer trips and more professional photographers would find a need for it.

I specifically purchsed this bag for an extended trip to NYC. I used it to hold all my camera gear, plus batteries, pens, and other essentials, including my Nano, and it also holds your large utility pouch. I used the velcro straps to hold a newspaper and my water bottle. It was my second carryon for the plane, and because it held all the above, it went on my day trip to the Statute of Liberty, Ellis Island and Ground Zero. The padded strap and release was handy because of the wieght, and it worked perfect! The bottle opener is a essetial item as well. Thanks for a great product!

I think I was one of the first people to get this bag, and man, I can't put it down or take it off. I own several other Chrome bags/products, and this by far, has been the best-designed and well-made bag out of all of them.

As others have mentioned, don't let the small size deceive you. I can easily carry my D200 with grip, 28-70/2.8 plus 2-3 smaller prime lens, SB800 flash, AND still have room for all of my bike gear (flat change kit, pump and wallet).

I do like the suggestions of maybe making it top-loadable, as well, or maybe even side compartments within the main compartment (in other words-slip lens into pouches like a divider).

Love this bag so much I'm considering retiring my Mini-Metro except for when I am carrying groceries or other large loads.

It's hard to write a balanced review of this bag because I have only positive things to say about it. It fits everything I stuff into it (1 canon 7d, a 28 to 135mm, a 35mm prime, 2 430exII, a 580exII, and a myriad of batteries, lens cleaners, memory cards, remote triggers, and of course a tripod). As mentioned by another the waterproof zipper is unparralled. The rain stands no chance! It's comfortable, even after long days of shooting, and looks great on top of it. I think the only downsides are I need a place to store a water bottle, especially when out riding on shoots, and they can't keep them in stock. Buy one if you can and please Chrome make a few more camera bags because I'll take one of each!!!

1. Comfortable as all get out. Carry this all day, ride with this all day, no worries.

2. Fits a fair amount of stuff for a small bag. Nice and compact, and I get my rangefinder and four lenses into the main body, and random crap in the top compartment.

3. Exterior padding is great, strap is great. Strap really sits well on your body, and the bag sits perfectly. No weird strain points anywhere: everything load-bearing is just perfectly balanced. Never experienced that in a bag before.

4. Haven't had to deal with rain yet, but I have other Chrome bags, and this one seems no different: rain shouldn't stand a chance.

The quibbles, because I have a few and I figure folks should know about them:

1. The interior dividers aren't awesome. Limited velcro surfaces, both on the inside bag surfaces and on the dividers themselves, so there aren't a ton of combinations you can make. The bag became much more awesome when I replaced them with dividers from an old Tamrac mini-backpack that I had laying around. I'd prefer Crumpler-style interior: every surface is soft felt, with dividers with velcro tabs that can attach both at the ends and on the bottom edges.

2. Secondary strap should have someplace I could clip it out of the way if I'm not using it. I have it tucked into the tripod straps right now, but hey, seems weird that I can't remove it or stick it in a pocket somewhere.

3. The Niko v2 begs, absolutely begs, for an iPad/netbook compartment in the back. Wouldn't add a lot to the bulk, but would make the bag much more versatile as a all-around carry bag.

This bag is pretty good for cameras. I managed to fit an entire 4x5 Wista camera, a spare bellows, a 150 mm lens with lensboard, a 200 mm lens with lensboard, a tool removal kit, 3 4x5 glass plate holders, a dark cloth, 7 glass plates, a plastic bottle of silver nitrate, a glass jar of collodion emulsion, and a couple top hats. Would recommend even though mine went up in flames due to spontaneous combustion during glass plate coating process. It happens, people, so buy a spare to keep in your wagon-drawn portable darkroom.

I just saw this today. It's great that you've got one, but there's a huge design flaw: It's not top loading. A courier style bag with an internal structure for photo equipment would be a much better idea. In fact, I take the guts out of my Tenba bag and put it in either my Citizen or Metropolis bags frequently. It gives me some extra room and I can open the top and get things in/out while it's on my shoulder.

Niko is a good first step, but I think you could bring together the best of both worlds with a camera bag built more like a messenger bag. Add an internal structure for equipment, separate compartments for things like bike locks and sufficient padding to prevent equipment damage, maybe even straps on the bottom for a tripod? Why not? The Citizen is already deep enough to support padding for longer lenses vertically.

Come up with a stellar padding/organizing system for photo equipment in a messenger structured bag. Perfection! More room for photo, bike stuff, and whatever else you need, maybe extra padding on top for safety as well as a top accessible zipper. I have another friend who uses a Metro for her photo bag and like me, she's also a cyclist.

After my best friend ordered the bag in September for my b-day did I had to wait 6 months because of faulty ordering or something like that. But I finally have it and I can't wait till I get on my bike to do some shooting. It's not too big and definitely not too small. I'm a tiny guy so the only thing I kinda hate about the bag (just like every other bag out there) is that I have to tighten the straps so far that I always have them dangling on the side which looks ugly. Other then that it's perfect!

btw... thanks for the Gift Bag... that one looks awesome as well
Michael Passman

Have been waiting for this bag for some time. Recently I traveled to Europe and really wanted a bag that was easy to carry and would allow me to keep my equipment with me without either to choose a set up or lug around my old large over the shoulder the bag. It worked our great in most aspects but I also realized it misses some functionality that would have been nice. First the positives:
1. Easy to take on the plane and easily fits in the seat in front of you.
2. Very comfortable and secure at all times. Did not have have any issues in carrying around in the main compartment my camera with 50MM lens two additional lenses that are fairly large, external flash and some miscellaneous small items like GPS adapter etc. Nice straps on site for tripod, even though only took small one.
3. Compartment on top is big enough for small stuff like candy bars etc.
4. Very much liked the combination of strap and the handle on top was used a lot for times that I needed to carry short distances.
5. Some people have commented on the desire for top loading but personally I preferred this set up. Easy to find what you're looking for.
6. As always, just spectacular workmanship.

Cons: (at least for me)

1. Would have preferred a slightly larger top pocket. I was able to store a Kindle Fire , ipod and some small items but that is it.
2. Would be really nice to have a side pocket for a water bottle. Unless you put it in the main compartment (not a great idea in my mind), there really isn't any room.

Highly recommend this bag as long as you use it for its intended purpose. My 4 rating is only because of the lack of pocket for water bottle.

love it for the most part built very well.. but guess what photographers carry? don't think they thought of that. if i want to carry more than one lens and my flash, need another bag, all u will be able to carry is your camera, one lens, and a flash. maybe your phone. nothing else. youll need another bag for your tripod, unless u can handle it hanging on the outside of your bag dealing w the elements and grabbing everything you walk by, water, iPad etc.another bag. sorry wish it cold fit any compact tripod . it won't. 10 in tripod dosent exist. but its pretty..

I brought this bag with me on a trip to taiwan backpacking around the whole island for a month was draining. I got a lot of compliments for the bag, the signature buckle turned heads.

I used dividers from previous camera bags to get it the way i wanted. I can fit my Canon XSi with a 28-75 tamron lens attached, a 18-270 tamron, and 85mm prime. I can swap out one lens for my 480exII speedlite. On top of that i have a cabled remote and some extra sd cards on the flap pocket. In the smaller 2ndary compartment i can fit a battery grip, wallet, phone, keys, steno pad and pen. I'd say this was a really awesome bag.

Some Cons:
yes i would like to have had a water bottle side pocket because of all the walking i was doing. Sometimes i would stick the water bottle into the main compartment where my camera and lenses were because i was too lazy to hold it. On a side note, i could stuff 2-3 maps into the main compartment.

I own many chrome messenger bags and felt that this bag needed something to hold down the stabilization strap. Oh and it didnt have velcro on the main harness for a chrome cellphone holster.

In the end, i still love it, i've been through a lot of rain and none of my gear has gotten wet. Its my primary camera bag when i bike around the city now.

This is a great bag. Stores just enough gear, and it's all within easy reach. There are three dividers provided (two three panel dividers, one single panel divider), and depending on your setup, you can fit most gear in it (camera + lens, couple of extra lenses, flash), and the top stores a fair amount as well (cables, Lytro, G-Drive, etc.).

My only issue is that that zippers didn't come with tabs. I bought some zipper pulls at REI and that did the trick. Outside of that, this is a great gear bag, and perfect for anyone that rides.

I've been doing a lot of looking for the "perfect" camera bag for my set up. This is it, except for one thing, the shoulder strap is too short for me. I'm a bigger guy, no not fat, and I'm maxed out. It's not horrible, and all the plus' more than out weigh this negative to me.

I have a commercial sewing machine, I'm going to add some reflective material to rear flap for better safety. No loop for a flasher either?

This bag was the best price, FREE!! I was lucky enough to place 3rd in their photo contest and got this bag!! This is the 4th Chrome bag I have, and it's just as amazing as the rest. It holds my D7000, a prime, a super-wide angle, a telephoto, filters, and the top part can easily hold a water bottle. What's also great about this bag is that "no one" knows that you've got a couple thousand dollars of gear in it. It does everything it should, and your gear remains unnoticed by potential bag grabbers. Highly recommend!!

I just received my bag (my first Chrome) and am stoked. while it is a bit smaller than I anticipated, it will still fit all my gear. IPad (with Otter Box case...tightly), Cannon G-10, Flash, chargers, a few diapers, couple of milk bottles, misc baby stuff, and some snacks. I am going to europe soon with my 1 year old and wanted something that would be compact and could store more than just my camera gear, as I will be the one carrying all of the luggage! Great compact bag that is versatile. It works equally as well when carrying gear to meet with clients around town.

all kidding aside, i love this bag. i usually use it for my canon plus lenses and the side straps work perfect for the tripod, but when i am traveling, i use it for a man purse/day bag (camera plus 1 lense, ipad, passport, small water bottle, guide book, snacks, wind breaker, etc). recommend highly.

Great bag for hauling around camera gear. Does a great job of keeping gear dry. Kept my camera dry in heavy down pour for 90 min during a soccer match. Only thing I would add to this a small pouch for a Ipad or macbook air. You can fit a ipad in to the bag but its a little hard to get to. Wish there was a little clip or something to keep the adjustable seatbelt strap porting from flopping around. I may just bandaid that with a rubber band later. Overall a great product though really like it. For those complaining that it can't carry everything I'd say go for a bigger bag then. I think this bag is intended for a nice camera and a 2 extra lenses and few extra nick-nacks. Its not suppose to be a portable camera studio on your back.

Lemme just say that I have used quite a few camera bags in the last six years. As a photojournalist in the Coast Guard I have to travel quite a bit. I was always keeping an eye out for a better bag. Now, I have a Tamrac camera backpack which I use for deployments but I wanted something smaller and more sleek for everyday photo shoots and what not. Enter the Chrome Niko. I am OBSESSED with this bag. One thing I love about it is that it's not bulky or big but I can stash quite a bit in it. It works perfectly when I am working in small spaces like our cutters or helicopters. I can fit my Nikon D300, a flash, fish eye, 24-70mm lens and then some. I carry quite a few flash cards, batteries, notepad, pens, my wallet, cell phone, keys, snacks and a few other goodies. The material is very tough (in a good way) and has a waterproof liner, which is fantastical in this rainy Florida weather. Let's just say I won't be needing a new bag anytime soon. Chrome, once again you have exceeded my expectations.

I am a bag whore, and when it comers to camera bags, i'm always looking for the perfect bag for a specific situation.

The reason I bought the Niko was due to the stylish looks that don't shout camera bag. And I can see using this for things other than photography.

The space is ample given the relatively compact size. It's actually smaller than I thought just by looking at the pics online. However, this is a good thing. There are tons of sling bags that are a bit bigger...so the Niko fits in the "little bit smaller" category. Ideal if you want something just large enough for essentials.

In my case, i'm using it for a Leica M system which this bag is perfect. Well...almost perfect.

Capacity is spot on. I really love the large and all-encompassing main entry flap with security buckles for extra measure. And the weatherproofing is first-rate.

But the one thing I was a bit bummed was the internal organizer optons. I think the dividers included are a bit lacking. IMHO there are not enough dividers included (would have been nice with just a couple more velcro dividers), and the dividers lack velcro on all walls, so you really can't provision the space exactly how you want. Fortunately I can cannibalize better dividers from my other bags, but for this price bag, this was a letdown.

Now that I have put alternate dividers in this bag, it is really working well. Very comfortable, and can carry quite a bit with a little careful planning.

One other minor complaint: I wish there was a way to stow away the additional stabilizer strap when not in use.

Overall this bag is pretty awesome. Really simple yet functional, with some really low-key but stylish looks. One of my favorite bags!

I bought this camera bag last year when they came back instock and I believe they sold out that same day.

If you need (want) an awesome camera (and lenses) only bag, this is the one. If you need to carry more things, a jacket, notebooks, some food etc., there really isn't enough room in the top pocket for me. However I'm sure you can figure out a way to make it work.

The straps on the side for a tri or mono-pod work perfectly.
Its work every last $105.00!

Burly, burly, burly. Holds more than a modest amount of equipment. A ton, in fact. Also has a strap for a tripod or whatever else you want. Well-padded for protection. Good separators for internal storage. If I had one wish, it would be that the top compartment zipper were reversed. But hey, the bag beats everything I've seen, so 5 stars no matter what. Great bag. Get it if you can!

This bag looks awesome and since its chrome it also bombproof. But it wouldn't fit all my gear. Ive been trying to buy this bag since it came out, but it was always out of stock. it came in this morning and i was so stoked to pack my stuff into it.

Read everyone elses reviews for all the positives, but here are some issues I had.

I always have a lens on my camera and couldn't find a good, secure way to have it ready to pull out of the bag. The zippers are kind of tough to open around the corners/bends so this is not a quick draw bag. Although there are enough dividers only the back inside has velcro which limits your options. some parts of the dividers have velcro also but their placement didnt work for me.

if (please Chrome) Chrome makes this bag in a bigger version I will be the first to buy it. but till then ill have to keep riding around with my domke bag inside my Metropolis.

On a side note. I ordered a bunch of stuff late sunday night. I got 2 day shipping, and was woken up early tuesday by fedex. Im pretty sure that qualifies as next day. Chrome fuckin rocks on customer service and satisfaction.

Just got back from a two week trip to London and Paris. My camera gear (Dslr, two lenses, extra batteries, lense cleaning accessories) was well protected throughout the whole trip and the bag was comfortable to wear every day. My bag was soaked after the first couple of days from the stormy weather but, it kept all my gear completely dry. The tripod straps also make a great umbrella and water bottle holder. I highly recommend the bag for day trips around the city.

This is a follow-up to my previous review. I stand behind all my previous comments, and the more i use it, the more I appreciate the Niko.

I am now dedicating it to my mirrorless micro 4/3rds setup which can see double duty as a video camera. For this purpose, I carry a 15mm rod rig, and found the Niko to be absolutely awesome . What I didn't really use before were the tripod straps. But now, they work fantastic to hold parts of my 15mm shoulder rig and counterweight. The rods are easily strapped against the bag by the tripod straps, with the shoulder pad situated in between. Very secure.

The main compartment is an absolutely perfect shape to fit my GH2 with 14-140mm attached to an Edelkrone pocket rig with 15mm rods deployed with Edelkrone FocusOne pro attached. It's a bit of a tight fit, but really when you see it in person, it's a match made in heaven. There is even room for a Varavon supporter loupe specific to the GH2.

The top compartment stores my rig handles and additional rod accessories with room to spare for a few batteries and Tascam DR 100 mk2.

Now if only....IF only, this bag had a zippered sleeve for an iPad, that would be fantastic. I hope Chrome can consider making a version of the Niko with the overall same shape and design with an iPad zippered partition facing the back. That would be awesome and make this bag just about perfect.

Some things I still "wish" it had:

1) a way to stow the additional support strap when not in use. A really clever example of how to manage dangling cables are the Think Tank slings which have a clever velcro strap that allows you to roll up the excess strap and velcro it in a tiny wad.

2) if i could dream, I wish this bag was just a little bit longer to allow a couple more lens options to be stored.

3) I wish the interior was all lined with material to allow velcro partitions to be applied in any configuration.

4) Would be nice if it came with more partitions for different configurations.

But really, at this point I'm nitpicking. The bag is quite unique and it's form factor is really great for a small kit.

if Chrome could make a little bit larger version of Niko with the features i mentioned, I'd be all over it in a hearbeat!

I'm upping my review of the Niko from 4 stars to 4.5 if I could. Really unique and beautifully minimalistic.

The Nico is a very comfortable bag that has a lot of potential, it's just not there yet. The issue is, it will not stay snug on your body. Packed with just a body and a couple of lenses the pack moves down your back lower and lower as you walk. I have to constantly tighten the strap or hold it in my hand as I walk. The second issue is that the interior dividers are very limiting. You will need to use dividers from your other camera bags to make a usable configuration. This camera bag has a ways to go before is measures up to my Citizen.

The Niko camera bag is great for my daily needs as a photographer! Its not a huge bag but that makes it great for when I am shooting concerts or in crowded places. The bag is streamlined and fits my 5d mark II, 24-70 L lens, 580ex II flash and still leaves room for other accessories, batteries, lenses etc. Having one over the shoulder strap and the side access pocket on the bag makes it really convenient to use. I use to have to put my bag down to get all of my gear out. With the Niko bag I can access all my gear right in front of me without taking it off. Great for those situations when something is happening and you need to get your camera out quickly to capture the moment. The weather proofing on the zippers is durable and effective. When its raining (or in the case of the occasional champagne shower) I have no worries about my gear getting wet! Living in San Francisco thats a big plus! I wouldn't be able to fit all of my camera equipment in here say for a big photo shoot or something but on a daily basis this is my go to camera bag

This is a follow up review. I really wanted to like this bag, but I can’t recommend it. The strap will not stay adjusted to where you want it. At first I thought of it as an annoyance, but now after trying to use it over the past couple months, I can say the strap issue overshadows all the good things I could say about the bag. The internal dividers also have issues, but I can overlook and work around them. But the fact that this bag loosens itself with each movement you make renders the bag useless. I have since moved on to a new camera sling from another manufacturer. This bag now hangs in my closet to store my extra camera equipment.

This bag rocks! I live in an urban environment and this bag really shines as a carry along day bag!
I am lugging about an eos 7d body, 24-70 lens, a 50mm prime, 10-22 and a 70-200 tele. In addition to the hardware, I have 2 backup batteries, a remote shutter release, 2 cf cards, a cheap tripod(my benro tripod doesn't fit). The velcro tripod straps are a touch short.
Well sealed from the elements, well built and looks good!

Bought this because I thought "Oh Chrome out to be an awesome well thought out camera bag because their other bags rock". Turned out I was wrong and very disappointed. This bag is not nearly the quality that other Chrome bags have. Even though it does have the 'Chrome buckle' it also has a tag that says 'Made in China'!
The bag itself looks just like a LowePro with a buckle. Also, the side opening pocket is extremely inconvenient for opening with the bag on as my camera has almost fallen out multiple times. I wanted to ride with it but no matter what position I put the zippers in all they do is rattle against each other which is super annoying. I really wish I would have just spent my money on another Citizen and dumped my camera in that instead.